Alive Again
by PhantomKnight102
Summary: Byakuya goes to the World of the Living on "vacation" and finds the reincarnation of Hisana. Shocked, he tries to confront her, but a certain Kurosaki is standing in his way. A little Ichi/Ruki implied.
1. Chapter 1: Sunday

**So this is a new story I've been working on. It's something that's been in my mind for a while now, and I'm just now making it into a story. I hope you like it. :)**

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It was that time of year again, and he couldn't help but think about her, no matter how hard he tried to block it. It's not easy to forget your soul mate when your love for them never diminishes over time.

Normally he would've spent the entire day with her, doing whatever she wanted. He loved to see her smile, especially when it was directed at him. But she would never smile anymore; she was dead. She died some 125 years ago by an illness. Eventually he learned to live without her, somewhat returning to his normal self, just a little bit colder than before.

He was in his office when Renji entered. He barely looked up, concentrating on his paperwork, until Renji was standing right in front of his desk, staring at him. He continued on like that, until Byakuya couldn't take his gaze anymore. "What do you want, Renji?"

"I've come to tell you the Senkaimon is ready for your departure now, sir," Renji answered, confusing him. He wasn't aware of any mission he'd been sent on.

"I don't believe I asked them to open the Senkaimon for me," he replied.

"You've been sent on a vacation, by the Head-Captain, to the World of the Living for one week." His eyes narrowed dangerously, yet the lieutenant never flinched.

"I don't recall asking for a vacation, Renji."

"I requested the vacation for you, sir. You always get so moody around this time of year, and after the war, I thought it would be best for you to get out of the office for a while. The Head-Captain agreed, which is why you should be leaving immediately."

"What if I don't want to go?" he challenged.

"It's a direct order from the Head-Captain. He said if you don't go he'll force you to fight Captain Zaraki," Renji replied, steadily meeting his eyes. Sighing, he stood up and gathered his Zanpakuto, which was leaning by his desk.

"Fine. Tell the Head-Captain I will be departing soon," he said as he walked out of the barracks and towards the Senkaimon, which was already open and waiting for his departure.

After walking through and exiting, he realized he was in Karakura Town, where the Winter War had been fought. As much as he wanted to leave the place, he knew he wouldn't be allowed. The Soul Society would want to keep watch on him, meaning he'd have to stay there the entire week. Hopefully he wouldn't see that annoying Kurosaki kid or his obnoxious father.

Walking down the street, it started raining, drenching him completely. He continued wandering around, though, and somehow wandered to a hill that overlooked the entire town, right near a small park. He stayed there, admiring the view, when he heard a squeal of delight. Intrigued, he walked towards the park to see what was going on. How anyone could be out here in the pouring rain amazed him.

He stopped short and his breathing slowed when he saw the two figures on the swings, facing away from him and laughing as if it wasn't raining buckets on them. Unaware of his actions, he caught himself saying her name, the word escaping his lips before he could regain his cool façade. "Hisana." As soon as he'd muttered it she turned around, searching. She quickly caught sight of him under one of the trees, and went to tell her friend, who also turned around, though he could not to see Byakuya. She looked back in his direction to point him out, only to find he was no longer there, having hidden himself with Kido. She frowned because she couldn't find him again, but her friend brushed it off as her imagination.

They got up and walked away, still talking and laughing without a care in the world. He stared after her until she disappeared from his sight, then he turned and headed in the direction of a small shop owned by a certain someone who would definitely have the information he was looking for.

When he entered the shop he noticed them all waiting for him, Kisuke hiding behind his fan while Yoruichi was grinning. "Please come in, Captain Kuchiki. We weren't expecting your visit so suddenly, so we didn't have time to prepare anything for you," Kisuke said, still hiding behind his fan.

"That's fine. I don't think I'll be here long." They led him into the back room and offered him some tea, which he gladly drank.

"So spill it, Byakuya. I know you're sitting on something, so you might as well tell us now," Yoruichi said, grinning at him while he drank. The others in the room stopped to listen to the captain's answer.

"Why didn't you tell anyone Hisana had been reincarnated?" he demanded without any preemption. Kisuke's eyes softened as he realized what this was about.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Captain." Byakuya's eyes narrowed a fraction, the only sign he was annoyed with him. "I was begged by a certain someone to keep this a secret from everyone. However, this was after I'd sent a report to Yamamoto about the situation. Why he didn't tell you, I can't say. You'd have to ask him." So it was all _his_ fault, and that made him even angrier.

"And you listened to him? You actually went along with what that Kurosaki kid asked you to do?" he said, barely controlling his voice.

"He had a sound argument, and I figured it wouldn't hurt anyone if I did. It's not like I did much anyway," Kisuke said, defending himself.

"That's not what matters; the point is you're helping him at all."

"Well he did ask nicely. Even got down on his knees and begged," Kisuke added, somewhat defending Ichigo. Byakuya's eyes narrowed even more, but before he could say anything Yoruichi spoke up again.

"Why don't we move to the real reason why you're here, Byakuya? We all know you're not that fond of us, so why bother to come here in the first place?" He was wondering that himself a bit, though he knew the answer, deep down in his heart.

"Who is she? I want to know everything you've got on her," he demanded, knowing full well Kisuke would be able to supply him with the information. He had no doubt in his mind Kisuke had been keeping tabs on her since her birth.

Kisuke hid behind his fan. "It might take –"

"Save me the silly antics Urahara. I know you already have the information." Yoruichi laughed, which she hid behind a cough. It seemed Kisuke was also smiling, though it was hard to tell. He got up and disappeared into one of the back rooms for a minute before returning with several files full of paper. He handed them to Byakuya, who had to restrain himself from snatching them out of his hand and hungrily flipping through them. Yoruichi seemed to know what he was thinking because she got up and offered to show him to his room. He calmly followed, showing no signs of hurry. She seemed to be leading him to the farthest room in the building, because it took longer than it should've to get there. When they finally reached his room he walked in and shut the door in her face, showing she was no longer needed. He sat down on the bed and began reading the first file, and he continued until late in the night when he could barely keep his eyes open.

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**There, Chapter 1. Let me know how you like it, please. Thank you :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Monday

**So here's chapter 2. Oh, here's a little hint as to how the story's going: each of the chapters will be like a day of his vacation, which will be 7 days (chapter 1 was the day he left, and chapter 2 was day 1 of his vacation). I thought that would be helpful for y'all to know. **

**I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed, favorited, and are following my story. It really made my day to see those, so I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. **

**It's been pointed out to me that Byakuya seems a little OOC, but in his defense, he's just seen the reincarnation of his wife, the wife he loved very much, so I think he has the right to be a little flustrated when seeing her. But hopefully he doesn't seem that way in future chapters, including this one. **

**And without further ado, Chapter 2.**

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He woke up the next morning asleep on the files, some of the papers stuck to his face. He notices a Gigai in his room, most likely from Kisuke. Sighing, he slipped into it, adjusting to the fake body. He then walked out to the main room where Kisuke and Yoruichi were sitting, eating breakfast. Sitting down at the table, he poured himself some tea, observing the two opposite him. Before he'd entered the room he'd heard hushed whispering, but upon his arrival the room went silent. He contemplated interrogating Urahara, but before he could the shop doors opened.

He whirled around, startled. It was Hisana's look-alike and that Kurosaki kid, both wearing their school uniforms. She seemed not to notice him there, instead grinning at Kisuke and Yoruichi happily. "So what's for breakfast today?" she asked, sitting down at the soon-to-be-crowded table. "Oooh, I love eggs and bacon!" she exclaimed, digging in. Ichigo sat down next to her without a word, watching Byakuya out of the corner of his eye. Byakuya steadily gazed back. Pretty soon, she noticed Ichigo's stare down with him, a stranger, and stopped to examine him.

"Who's he?" she asked Urahara. He replied, hiding a smirk behind his fan, which had suddenly appeared.

"His name is Byakuya Kuchiki, and he's going to be your substitute teacher for the rest of the week." A tick appeared in Byakuya's forehead, alerting the Shinigami of his annoyance. Ichigo couldn't help but smirk as he watched Byakuya get entangled in one of Kisuke's plans. Before he could reprimand the shop owner, Hisana #2 spoke up.

"Are you really? That's cool." Smiling, she held out her hand to him as an introduction. "Hi. I don't think we've officially met. I'm Sakura Tsubaki, and this is Ichigo Kurosaki," she said, introducing herself and the Kurosaki kid. Of course, Byakuya already knew who he was, be neither of them said anything to betray that fact. Instead, he shook her hand in return.

"Nice to meet you," he said, somewhat strained. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice, instead checking her watch. Noticing the time, she hurriedly finished and grabbed Ichigo, running out the store.

"Sorry, but we've got to get to school now. See you later!" she said. They were silent for a moment, watching her go.

"So, how do you like her?" Yoruichi asked, unable to stand the silence any longer. Byakuya thought for a moment before responding.

"Just fine." He turned towards the female, giving her a cold stare. "It does not matter how I feel at all; she does not remember anything. I will not force her to feel anything or try to make her remember anything. She has been given a new life, and I see no need to interfere at all." She smirked at his words.

"Oh really, coming from the man who wanted to know everything about her last night. I wonder where he went," she mused.

"It really doesn't matter whether or not you want to interfere; that is unavoidable. You're already signed up as her class's substitute teacher, so you'll see her no matter what," Urahara said, reminding the captain of his previous annoyance, which had resurfaced.

"Yes, about that; I don't want to. This is my vacation, and I'd rather not spend it teaching some human students things I have no need for anymore." Urahara simply smirked behind his stupid fan.

"Too bad," was all he said in response. "You might as well get going so you're not late to class." He made a shooing gesture with his hands toward Byakuya, who gave him a cold stare. While he did visibly shiver, he didn't back down. Sighing with reluctance, Byakuya stood up and walked out of the shop and towards the high school, where he would be forced to teach for the rest of the week.

Though secretly, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he knew he didn't really mind being there. While teaching wasn't on the top of his "Things to do on Vacation" list, spending time with the reincarnation of Hisana was definitely a bonus.

~during lunch~

Ichigo & Sakura

"Hey Ichigo, does the new teacher remind you of that guy we saw in the park?" she asked out of nowhere, surprising Ichigo.

"Yeah," was all he said. Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment, before firing off more questions at Ichigo.

"I wonder what he was doing there? He looked so lonely. And he was wearing that weird uniform you used to wear, except he had a white cloak. And his sword was smaller. Have you met him before?" she asked. Ichigo thought for a moment, wondering how much he should reveal.

"I really have no idea what he was doing there. But yeah, I have met him before. Let's just say, we're not on the best of terms with each other. He may not hate me anymore, but he certainly doesn't especially like me. I like to think of myself as a nuisance to him," he replied happily. She poked his arm as she reprimanded him, scowling.

"Ichigo, that's not very nice. You should be nicer to him; he seems to be sad for some reason. I wonder why? I think both of you should try to apologize to each other over whatever it is you two have against each other." Ichigo scoffed.

"Like that's going to happen. The day him and I agree to something will be the day the world ends." She continued frowning.

"Still…" she trailed off, when suddenly she popped back up, getting an idea. "Alright, I've decided on a solution: you two are going to get together and talk about your problems. It's not healthy to keep a grudge on someone, and it would be easier for you two to resolve it." When Ichigo tried to complain, she silenced him with a glare, leaving him with no choice but to go with her stupid plan.

"Fine; whatever you say. But good luck trying to convince him." She brightened considerably when she heard his answer, giving him a friendly hug.

"Oh, thanks Ichigo! We'll ask him after school today, to see if he can meet us somewhere tomorrow. This is going to be great!" she said as they made their way back downstairs to their classroom. Ichigo mentally rolled his eyes, already imagining the outcome of their "talk." Huge craters scattered around Karakura Town, buildings sliced to ribbons, him in several pieces around the park. Yes, he had a feeling this would go very well.

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**Well, there you have it. Day 1 of vacation is over. The next chapter will be about his "talk" with Ichigo, which will hopefully be intersting ;) BTW, fun fact about Hisana's new name: Sakura means cherry blossom, like Byakuya's Zanpakuto, and Tsubaki means camellia flower, like the 6th division's flower (hehe). **

**Please let me know what you think about it by leaving a review. ****Thank you :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Tuesday

**So here's chapter 3. I was in the groove after finishing and posting chapter 2, so I decided to start chapter 3. I was surprised at how quickly it came, and I couldn't type fast enough to get it all down before going to bed. Of course, I couldn't get the story out of my mind so I had to get up and finish it. And now here it is, one day later. Enjoy!**

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Class that day was normal, if not a little tense, though no one seemed to notice. As soon as the bell rang, Ichigo and Sakura were out of their seats, heading towards the same park where they'd seen Byakuya two nights ago. Halfway there, though, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with worry. Ichigo stopped too, confused as Sakura started searching her pockets and in her back for something. "What're you looking for?" he asked curiously.

"The key to my apartment," she replied, still rifling through her belongings. "I need them to get in; otherwise I'd have to go to Urahara to get the spare. But I could've sworn I'd had it when we'd left school."

"Maybe you dropped them somewhere," Ichigo suggested. When she couldn't find the elusive key, she grudgingly admitted she'd lost them.

"Fine; I'll just go back and look for them, okay. You go on ahead and meet with Kuchiki-sensei." She gave him a somewhat-menacing stare. "And be nice you two. I don't want to return to find the park in shambles." With that she turned and dashed down the road and back to the school in search of her key. Sighing, he continued on to the park, as she'd wanted him to. For her, he'd really try to be nice to Byakuya, but there was something about that stuck-up noble that annoyed him.

He arrived at the park to find said noble already waiting on one of the park benches, reading a book. He barely stopped as Ichigo approached him. "Hey," he said, earning a side-glance from the man.

"What do you want, Kurosaki?" he asked in a bored tone, still holding the book. Ichigo shrugged.

"Nothing, really. It's just Sakura wanted us to 'apologize to each other.' But I don't see anything to apologize for. I would save Rukia again, even if it meant fighting you again."

"Hmm, even without your powers? Well, if that's all, then I'd better get going," Byakuya said, putting down his book as he prepared to leave, but he was stopped by Ichigo, who was holding his arm out in front of him.

"Hold on now. We've still got to wait for Sakura; after all, she's the one who wanted this, so it would be wrong for you to leave without at least saying something to me in her presence." Byakuya stopped as he thought about it. Almost reluctantly he sat down again on the park bench, pulling out his book to read until Sakura returned. But it seemed Ichigo had other plans for the Shinigami captain.

"So what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in the Soul Society doing captain stuff?" Byakuya hardly looked up as he answered the substitute Shinigami.

"My lieutenant insisted on a vacation, and I could hardly say no," was all he said. Ichigo scoffed as he thought of Renji trying to force the noble to go on vacation. He doubted it had been Renji alone, but he didn't inquire any further. Instead, he talked about what had been on his mind since Byakuya's arrival.

"Yeah, but why are you _here_? I didn't think Karakura Town was the kind of place where you'd go on vacation. Is there something else keeping you here?" he asked, giving the captain a side look. Slightly annoyed, the captain put down his book to give the substitute a level stare.

"There is nothing keeping me here except for the inconsequential job Urahara has given to me. I cannot simply leave because I don't want to do it," he replied. Ichigo snorted in response.

"Are you sure that's the only reason why you're here?" Ichigo asked persistently. Byakuya scrutinized him, looking for what Ichigo was implying. Coming to realize what he was implying, he continued gazing at the substitute.

"I don't think I like what you're implying, Kurosaki," he said offhandedly.

"But I think you do. I think you're still here because of her. You can't help but feel attracted to her."

"You're wrong. Why would I feel like that about a young Human girl? She's nothing to me," Byakuya said, denying what Ichigo was telling him.

"Who're you talking about?" Sakura asked, startling the two Shinigami. During their argument, neither of them noticed her return. She had been silent until then, listening to their bickering, when she couldn't help but interject.

"H-how much have you heard?" Ichigo stuttered, looking like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"I was up by the ledge when Kuchiki-sensei said something about a job from Urahara, and then as I continued I couldn't hear anymore. Then I heard Kuchiki-sensei talking about a Human girl being nothing to him," she replied. Looking back at Ichigo, she repeated her question.

"So who were you two talking about?"

"A girl Byakuya knew. I've never met her personally, but I've met her sister," Ichigo answered.

"What happened to her?" she asked, curious. It was Byakuya who answered her question.

"She died several years ago." Sakura looked sad, and a little guilty for asking about someone who was obviously very dear to him.

"Did you love her?" she said, barely a whisper, so the Shinigami had to strain to hear her.

"Yes. She was my wife," Byakuya replied. Sakura fought back the tears that threatened to spill when she thought of how hard it must've been for him to talk about her now, when he still loved her.

"Isn't the anniversary of her death supposed to be around now?" Ichigo asked, looking at Byakuya. "What are you doing here?" Sakura looked up, confused by Ichigo's question, and barely caught the sad look Byakuya had sent to her before looking away. Slowly, the answer dawned on her.

"Me," she said softly. Both of them looked at her surprised, though Byakuya had to look away, unable to meet her gaze. "Why? Do I look like her, or remind you of her?" she demanded, though when none of them answered she got angry.

"Oh I see now; the only reason either of you are here is because I remind you of _her_. I am not her!" she said forcefully. Ichigo held his hands up, as if to ward her off.

"Woah, I didn't say anything about you reminding me of her, so you technically can't say that," he said, uncomfortable with her piercing gaze. Angrily, she turned towards him.

"Do I look like an idiot to you? I can put the pieces together, Ichigo. You knew what she meant to Kuchiki-sensei and you decided to take me for yourself so he couldn't have me…er, her, back." He looked at the ground guiltily, his hands in his pockets with his head hanging. Byakuya was surprised to hear this; it was interesting to find out. Softly, Ichigo spoke up.

"You're a little off. I had no idea what she meant to Byakuya." Looking Sakura in her eyes, he corrected her. "To me, you remind me of her sister, Rukia." Now both Byakuya and Sakura were confused.

"What does that have to do with me, though?" Sakura asked, looking at him questioningly. Byakuya did too, curious what he had to say about Rukia. Ichigo blushed as he looked away.

"A while ago, I realized I'd probably never get to see her again, her living in the Soul Society while I'm still alive and completely powerless now. I-I don't know. You just reminded me so much of her, I decided if I couldn't have her I'd have you," he said. Sakura narrowed her eyes at Ichigo.

"You do realize I'm not this Rukia girl, or the wife of Kuchiki-sensei," she said, glaring at both of them.

"Actually," Byakuya said, speaking up after being quiet for so long, "you are her. Well, not Rukia." Sakura's eyes widen at what he was implying.

"Are you saying I'm your wife reincarnated?" Hearing this she got angry again. "Well, if you're here to try and make me fall in love with you, you're going to be sorely disappointed. I hate the both of you!" she said as she stormed off, leaving the both of them at the park bench. Byakuya and Ichigo watched her go before giving each other hate-filled looks and walking off themselves.

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**There, Byakuya and Ichigo's "talk." I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with it. I had a bit of fun writing it, although Byakuya and his emotionless facade is hard to get just right. Let me know how I did and what y'all thought in a review, please. **

**P.S. I know this chapter came pretty quick, but I wouldn't expect the next one to be as quick. I do still have to go to school, and I've got an important paper due Monday, which I need to focus on. Sorry. **


	4. Chapter 4: Wednesday

**Alright, here's Chapter 4 guys. Sorry for not updating for a while, but I had several projects due this past week and my extra time was spent working on those. **

**I know Sakura found out about her reincarnation pretty quickly, but Byakuya will only be in the World of the Living for a few more days, so the plot has to move quicker to get everything I want in there on time. He _will_ be leaving after his vacation time is over.**

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Byakuya woke up the next day in the worst mood ever. He got up and got dressed, almost storming out to the main room for breakfast. Even though on the outside it didn't look like he was mad, those who knew him better, like Yoruichi, could tell something was on his mind and he didn't like it.

"What's got your panties in such a twist Byakuya?" Yoruichi said, earning a glare from said Shinigami. She smirked at his response, "Does it have anything to do with Sakura?" she questioned. His only response was to look down into his cup.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Instead of responding he looked up at her, still glaring.

"I take it you were spying on our little exchange. I'm right, aren't I?" he said, echoing her words. She bit back a grin while Urahara put up his fan to hide his smirk, confirming Byakuya's suspicions. Of course Yoruichi, being the former commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido, would spy on him.

He decided to leave the two, instead heading back to his room to think by himself. He didn't want to go to school today and teach with _her _in the class. It would only make his mood worse. To distract himself, he debated with himself which was worse: coming to Karakura Town and seeing Sakura, or staying and fighting with Captain Zaraki **(see Ch. 1)**.

~meanwhile~

Sakura

Kuchiki-sensei was absent from school that day, as well as Ichigo. She didn't want to worry about them, but she couldn't help it. Ichigo had been her friend for years, and while she barely knew Kuchiki, over the last few days she'd come to like him. _As a friend_, she quickly added. She didn't love him, like _her_.

She spent the rest of the day worrying about them, when she wasn't angry at them. After school she went to the usual park they seemed to be seeing each other a lot in. It was on the swings Ichigo found her. When she noticed him out of the corner of her eyes she promptly ignored him, even looking the other way. Then he sat down on the swing next to her, forcing her to acknowledge him.

"What do you want?" she snapped, though she immediately regretted it when she saw the hurt on his face.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were fine. You obviously are, seeing as you can still snap at me. I'll leave now," he said, making a move to get up. He was stopped by Sakura, who had grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the swing.

"I'm sorry; please stay," she pleaded, not wanting to lose her long-time friend. "I'm just confused," she said, looking down at her hands, which were resting on her legs, "was what you and Kuchiki said really true?" Ichigo looked at her for a while before answering.

"Yeah. It was all true."

"Who is Kuchiki, really?" she asked, a question that had been burning inside of her. She saw how he carried himself, his proud stance, and the commanding air he carried about himself.

"Well, you know about the Soul Society and the Shinigami that live there, right? Within the Soul Society is a…society basically, and at the head of that society is, among others, the Four Noble Houses. The Kuchiki clan is the most important of these families, and Byakuya is the head of the clan. He's also the Captain of the 6th Division. So I guess you can say he's a pretty important person." Her assumptions were correct; he practically oozed power, and just by being in his presence she felt slightly intimidated.

"Do I look like her? Hisana, or Rukia even?" she asked quietly. Ichigo studied her face, mentally comparing her to Rukia.

"Almost exactly like her, though I can't say for sure. Your hair is the same, though a little more frayed; you even have that one strand that goes in-between your eyes, though yours goes on both sides. And your eyes are a similar shade of purple, but slightly darker. But other than that, a perfect match." She seemed to think about this, imagining herself with Kuchiki, and then with Ichigo. The ideas were too farfetched to make sense.

"Why did you befriend me? What's so important about Rukia that you had to have me because you couldn't have her?" He blushed slightly from her question. Though he didn't like to admit it, he really did have feelings for the short-tempered midget. But she'd never know about them because she was in the Soul Society, unavailable to him.

"I guess I am in love with her," he said, more to himself than anything. But Sakura heard him anyways.

"Are you in love with me?" she asked, watching him for any reaction. He was looking at the ground, so it was hard to tell.

"I guess you could say I am. You're just like her, in a way. But when you get mad you don't hit me," he said with a smirk, remembering Rukia's fondness of hitting him when he insulted her artwork.

"What about Kuchiki? Is he still in love with me?" Ichigo barely thought about if before responding.

"Yes. Do you remember that day in the park when you first saw him?" She nodded, wondering where he was going with the question. "That was her birthday." She gasped, coming to an understanding of how he felt.

"That must've been a horrible day for him. First it's his dead wife's birthday. Then he comes here and sees me, when I look exactly like her. And he sees you with me. He must be feeling horrible; now I feel bad for saying I hated him." Ichigo patted her back reassuringly.

"Don't worry about him too much. He'll have to deal with it eventually. He's probably fine."

"We should go see him and make sure he's alright," she demanded, making Ichigo grimace.

"He probably wouldn't like seeing me, and considering what you said to him yesterday, he probably doesn't want to see you either," he reasoned, trying to get out of it. Sakura thought about this but it didn't deter her one bit.

"I still think we should go. If he feels that way we'll just apologize." She gave him a pointed look. "Both of us. And what if he doesn't feel that way and really needs a friend?" Ichigo scoffed.

"No matter what you say, we're going to the shop tomorrow," she said, glaring at him to challenge her. When he said nothing, she stood up and walked home, not waiting for Ichigo to follow. But he did, after rolling his eyes behind her back.

~afterwards~

Byakuya

He concluded, after thinking about it for most of the day, that fighting Captain Zaraki would've been better than coming here. And he was positive that others would find his conclusion true.

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**I'm sorry, but I had to add that part about Byakuya at the end. I realized as I was writing it that Sakura agreed with him (about the debate), and I thought I should point it out. So it's more of an omake than anything. **

**Please tell me what you think so far in a review; I love to see those :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Thursday

**So Chapter 5 is now up. Sorry for not updating for so long, but school has been difficult recently, along with softball season beginning. I'm busy almost every night for the next few weeks. And without further ado:**

* * *

Byakuya awoke to a knocking on his door. Still tired, he got up and opened the door with a glare at the person outside. It was Yoruichi. She grinned when she saw his glare, along with his disheveled state. "You have some visitors." He rolled his eyes as he shut the door in her face. He quickly fixed himself up and changed, and then went out to greet his 'visitors.'

He stopped in the doorway when he saw who it was. Sakura was staring at him while Ichigo was looking bored. They were supposed to be in school, but instead they were here. Putting up his stony façade, he addressed the two. "Why are you here? I'm trying to enjoy a vacation and would like you two to stop ruining it."

"Byakuya, that wasn't very nice," Yoruichi chided. "They're here because they wanted to apologize." Mentally Byakuya rolled his eyes.

"I highly doubt I'll get any sort of explanation from Kurosaki. I think the only reason he came was to please Ms. Tsubaki." Sakura's eyes widened and she coughed a bit.

"See. This is why I shouldn't have come. He saw right through us," Ichigo said to Sakura, earning an elbow in his side.

"Umm, Ku-Byakuya, we'd like to speak with you, privately," she added, noticing Kisuke and Yoruichi still in the room. They both got up, eyeing Byakuya and Ichigo.

"Fine, but be good you two. If I hear anything close to 'scatter' or 'Getsuga Tensho' we will be forced to intervene," Kisuke threatened, somewhat jokingly because neither of them had their swords with them. "And no Kido," he said as he left the room. Ichigo shot him an annoyed look, not happy with Kisuke bringing up the fact he couldn't use his powers anymore.

As soon as he left Byakuya turned to the pair. "What do you want?" he demanded. Sakura looked a little startled at his bluntness, but quickly straightened herself out.

"I've come to apologize about what I said to you two days ago, in the park. I've had your situation explained to me, and am pleased to say I understand how you must be feeling. For that, I am sorry," she said, so formally it sounded like she'd been practicing it. He turned his cold stare on her, making her gulp.

"Do you really think you can understand what I'm feeling? Have you ever had the person you love the most in the world die, leaving you alone?" He was surprised by her answer.

"Yes. Both of my parents died in a car crash a few years after I was born. Luckily I was with some friends, but I was still left without parents. I went to an orphanage, where Kisuke found me and decided to foster me. I met Ichigo not long after that."

Byakuya studied her for a moment. "Hmm, sounds tragic." She looked surprised by his emotionless answer. Instead she shrugged it off, though the awkward silence that followed was too much for Ichigo, who decided to speak up.

"So why aren't you teaching class anymore? I thought you weren't the type to leave because you don't want to do it," Ichigo asked, repeating Byakuya's words from their conversation in the park.

"I have decided it is beneath me and a waste of my time, therefore I shall not be teaching anymore. It is not fitting for someone of my standing to lower themself to teach stupid humans," he replied dismissively. He ignored the angry faces of the two visitors after his comment. Shaking with anger, Sakura slammed her hands on the table.

"What was that for? What's gotten into you all of a sudden? I don't remember you being this heartless," she said, looking at him pleadingly. This emotionless façade was too much. She desperately hoped this was all a ruse, a fake, because it hurt her to see him like this. Some part of her wondered why was reacting this way; it's not like she cared about him. Right?

"I do," Ichigo said, gritting his teeth and glaring at Byakuya. "This is exactly how he reacted during Rukia's execution. If I hadn't intervened she would be dead!"

"If you hadn't gotten involved she wouldn't have had to be executed in the first place," Byakuya calmly retaliated. "You foolish humans have a bad habit of getting yourselves involved in affairs that don't concern you. And then you go and create problems for the people whose lives you interrupted. I think now you can see why I'd rather not socialize with you humans," he said, haughtily glaring at the two. Ichigo was now visibly shaking with anger; Sakura, however, was silently fuming with herself.

"You're right, I do see now. I'm sorry if we bothered you, but we'll be going now," she said in a clipped voice. She stood up without looking at Byakuya and stormed out of the shop. After one last glare at the noble, Ichigo rushed after her. Byakuya too stood up, forlornly gazing at the pair. The door behind him opened and Kisuke and Yoruichi entered the room. Byakuya turned to go back to his room, but suddenly Yoruichi slapped his face, glaring at him with an intense hatred.

"How could you say something like that to her? She just wanted to apologize!" she shouted, confused. Byakuya was an old friend of hers, and while she knew he could be cold and distant sometimes, she never expected this kind of heartlessness from him. And it scared her. Byakuya said nothing in response to her question, instead pushing past her to his room. She watched him go sadly, hoping something would be able to cure her friend.

~Omake~

Renji sat in the 6th division's office, doing paperwork. While doing so, he was thinking about his captain and the vacation he was on in the World of the Living.

_I bet you he's having a great time there. Yeah, he probably is. Maybe he's found a nice place to stay at and enjoy the peace away from the office. He should be grateful to me for sending him on the vacation in the first place. When he gets back, he's probably going to thank me, and maybe offer me a gift. I wonder what he'd give me. Maybe he'd let me date Rukia._

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**I had to add that last part about Renji, just because. :)**

**Okay, I know that Byakuya was acting a little weird, but he has a good reason. Please don't be too mad with him. All shall be explained in a later chapter...maybe. I think so. It's been planned. **


	6. Chapter 6: Friday

**Yay, it's spring break now. And because I was in a happy mood, I decided I'd work on Chapter 6 for y'all, as a present/gift/thingy.**

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Sakura

She was walking to school on this Friday, except this time she was walking alone. Ichigo was nowhere to be found, and when she went by his house earlier, his sisters had said he'd already left. She'd walked away, dejected, and that was when her feet had subconsciously walked her to the park, by the ledge that overlooked the entire town. It was also the place where Byakuya had first found her and Ichigo. She stopped at the ledge to get a good look at the sun, which was just now rising above the horizon. It was then that she heard voices, two of them, coming up one of the sides. Her eyes widened when she recognized one of them, and she took off in their direction.

Byakuya

He'd gotten up early that morning, intending to go on a nice walk around the park, but that plan flew right out the window when Yoruichi, who was also up, decided to accompany him. Since he couldn't get rid of her, he resolved to ignore her the entire time, but she wasn't making it easy. She was talking his ears off about some non-consequential thing he couldn't care less about. Suddenly he felt something poke the side of his face; it was Yoruichi, who was looking at him with a gleam in her eyes. "What?" he asked.

"You're not paying attention to me, even though I offered to walk with you. How rude!" she said, pretending to pout.

"I did not ask you to walk with me, you did it on your own. Besides, I have better things to think about than someone stealing your milk," he replied, still calmly walking forward.

"Like what?" she asked, catching him off guard. Sighing, he stopped walking to respond to her.

"Nothing of importance," he replied offhandedly before continuing. She jogged to catch up to him after he'd left her, but it didn't take long.

"I would think Sakura is important," she said, almost making Byakuya trip because she'd caught his bluff.

"What makes you think I was thinking about her?" he said. Yoruichi just gave him a side looked that said "Really?" He had to give her props; not many people could read the Captain of the 6th, but Yoruichi seemed to have a knack for it. Suddenly Yoruichi grinned.

"Well speak of the devil," she said, watching something. Byakuya looked at what she was watching and was startled to recognize the form of Sakura running towards them. She stopped just in front of them, bowed over to catch her breath after running all that way with her backpack on.

"Kuchiki -" She was cut off when she heard a swishing sound. Looking up, she realized Byakuya was no longer there with a puzzled expression on her face. Yoruichi grinned at her confusion.

"Shunpo. Part of the abilities of a Shinigami," she explained for Sakura. She gave a small "oh" as she leaned against the railing.

Sakura

"Where'd he go?" she asked Yoruichi, who just shrugged.

"Away from here, probably," was her reply. Sakura was quiet for a moment as she dissected his actions. Did this mean he hated her, or he just didn't want to see her? She though back on the day before, what he'd said to her and Ichigo, and she got an inkling it was the former. "Don't take it too hard; he's just in a mood. It's not you," Yoruichi said to her, startling Sakura out of her thoughts. It seemed like Yoruichi had read her mind, though what she said helped Sakura more than what she'd been thinking.

"So you know Kuchiki pretty well, then?" she asked, curious about their history. She also found this as an opportune time to learn more about Kuchiki. Yoruichi laughed at the girls question, and she could see the curiosity burning in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know Byakuya pretty well. We met when he was just a kid training to take over as head of the family. By then I was already a captain, so I was much older than him," she said. Sakura was surprised; she hadn't expected Yoruichi to be that old. "I even helped him with his Shunpo by stealing his hair band. He had such a temper back then, but now he's no fun anymore," she said with a slight chuckle. There was a moment of silence between the two as they got lost in their separate thoughts, Yoruichi trying to think of how to prank Byakuya again, Sakura deciding which question she wanted to ask next.

She settled on "How well do you know Hisana?" Yoruichi stopped for a moment and studied Sakura before telling the girl.

"Not very well. I'd only met her a few times because I was busy being a captain, but from the few times I'd met her I'd grown to like her. She was so kind and gentle, and she was very humble. Did you know Byakuya went against his family's rules to marry her? But the looks on their faces at the wedding were priceless. They were clearly happy," she said wistfully, remembering the wedding. "It was a shame to see her die; it's like all the happiness in him left with her. When he adopted Rukia, I thought it would get better, but it didn't seem like anything had changed." Sakura was silent throughout Yoruichi's tale; she could imagine how hard it was to see her once-happy friend now sad without the love of his life.

"Why'd he adopt Rukia? Was it because she looked like Hisana?" she asked, though she had a feeling there was more to it than that. Yoruichi shook her head.

"It was Hisana's last wish to Byakuya, for him to find Rukia and protect her. But she asked him not to tell Rukia that Hisana was her sister, for some reason," Yoruichi said thoughtfully.

"It was because she felt unworthy to be called her sister," Sakura supplied, surprising Yoruichi.

"What makes you say that?" she wondered. Sakura looked distant for a moment before she responded, a little uncertain herself.

"I-I don't know; it just seemed right, you know. That's how I'd feel," she said, gazing out thoughtfully. She didn't notice the way Yoruichi's eyes widened as she realized what was happening to her.

"Well, you work on that feeling later; shouldn't you be in school," she said with her hands on her hips, attempting to reprimand Sakura. Sakura looked at her watch before taking off towards the school.

"Oh my gosh, you're right. See you later Yoruichi," she called over her shoulder, leaving Yoruichi standing by the ledge. Yoruichi stayed there until she couldn't see Sakura's receding figure before Shunpoing back to Kisuke to tell him the latest developing issue with Sakura.

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**So Chapter 6 was mostly about Sakura this time, instead of Byakuya. It was needed to help advance the plot, because now there's been a new issue with Sakura, if you can figure out what it is. I think I'll start Chapter 7 soon, though don't expect an update again this week (maybe) because we're going on vacation for a few days and I won't be allowed to bring my laptop :( **

**Let me know what you thought.**


	7. Chapter 7: Saturday

**Okay, so I said I probably wasn't going to post again this week, but this idea popped into my mind and I thought '_Hey, I think I should write this down. It could be good for Chapter 7_' and what do you know, I couldn't stop writing and I finished Chapter 7. So here it is.**

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Sakura

She was wandering through the park today; she didn't feel well enough for school. Her mind felt as if it was being flooded, random images appearing in her mind. And she had no idea what they meant. Normally they were brief flashes, nothing more than a glimpse, but sometimes she could see a person. It was always the same person. He was tall, with dark hair, though all of his other features were distorted through the haze she saw everything through. But she had an inkling he was familiar, and she felt like she could trust him.

She felt sick, faint, as her brain was bombarded. Stumbling a bit, she reached a swing and sat down, gently rocking back and forth from her momentum. She rested her head on the cool chain, enjoying the feel as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. It had just started recently. And she wasn't having any other symptoms, no fever or anything. She briefly wondered if she was going insane. Gathering the effort to stand, she decided she'd go speak to Kisuke and see if he knew what was wrong with her. She paused for a moment when she realized Byakuya would still be there. Then she decided she didn't care anymore and was about to head over there, but something stopped her.

The breeze that had been gently blowing through the park had stopped. All of the birds, who were usually flittering around by now, had stopped. There weren't even any squirrels about gathering food. It gave her a spooky feeling, and slowly she turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw the huge Hollow standing several feet behind her, watching her with hungry eyes. It was big, with a large white serpentine tail winding around it, and growing out of the tail close to the torso was a pair of legs, with hands on the end. But the Hollow mask was the worst. It looked like a snake's head, but there was what looked like a burst of red paint around the eyes, and some on the mouth. No, that wasn't a marking; it was real blood, Sakura realized with a gasp. She looked horrified at the soul of a boy not too far away, half of his stomach missing, probably in the Hollow's stomach.

The Hollow turned away, intent on finishing its first meal, but before it could grab at the boy again it was hit with a medium-sized rock, courtesy of Sakura. "Hey, don't touch that boy!" she shouted at it, earning a low growl from the Hollow. It chose to ignore her again, instead going for the boy. Sakura threw another rock. This time it turned towards her with a snarl, its eyes wide with anger. It began to rear back on its tail, intending to lunge at Sakura, who realized this and began running away, to anywhere but there. The Hollow, having forgotten its meal, chased after her.

Byakuya

He arrived at the park too late for the boy's soul. It was already dead, so he performed Konso in a meager attempt to save it. He was about to go, thinking the Hollow had disappeared, when he felt a flare in someone's reiatsu. Shocked, he recognized it as Sakura's and immediately Shunpoed to where she was.

He stopped at the tree-line to observe the scene before him. Neither Sakura nor the Hollow had noticed him yet, which was good. The Hollow had Sakura backed up against a tree, his large tail wrapped loosely around to create a barricade to prevent Sakura from running. Not that she could've run very far in her condition. She had multiple small scratches on her arms and legs, but her worst injury was the scratch above her eye, the blood pouring from it preventing her from opening it. While he was observing the Hollow had reared up, preparing to kill Sakura with one blow, and it was then Byakuya decided to make himself known.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura"

His sword dissolved into the tiny blades that were Senbonzakura and flew towards Sakura, creating a barrier in front of her, which the Hollow hit head on. It moved back, its head waving from side to side to find him. Dramatically he stepped out of the trees and walked calmly towards the monster. Sakura's eyes lit up as she realized she wasn't going to die here, and who else had come to save her but Byakuya. She was strangely overjoyed to see him, but right now she didn't dwell on it too much.

The Hollow, sensing Byakuya's power, decided to retreat and began slithering backwards. However, Byakuya would not let him go. Anyone who messed with those he loved was going to die. Mentally, the tiny blades responded to his wish and were sent crashing into the Hollow, obliterating it into a thousand tiny pieces, which soon disappeared. After sending a glare in the direction of the disintegrating Hollow, Byakuya walked over to Sakura, who had slumped on the ground, weak from the loss of blood. She was barely conscious, and therefore unable to walk, so Byakuya picked her up in his arms and began walking back to Urahara Shoten. As he prepared to Shunpo there, he looked down at Sakura to find she had made herself quite comfortable in his arms. Her hand was clutching his robes, and she had her head resting on his chest. He gave a small smile as he brushed her hair out of her face, though he dared not touch her more than that.

"Thank you, Lord Byakuya," she whispered softly, startling him. She had yet to open her eyes though, so he figured she was still asleep. But still, her words made him happier. He Shunpoed off to Kisuke, who took one look at her and gestured for Byakuya to bring her to one of the back rooms. Then he made him leave as he and Tessai began healing Sakura. Dejected, he walked back to his room and rested there, thinking about what she had said to him earlier.

Only Hisana called him Lord Byakuya.

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**And his servants, but that doesn't really matter here. Yay, I think Sakura's beginning to remember being Hisana, maybe, but we won't know until Kisuke confirms it ;) One more chapter to go, probably, and I'm excited for it. But first I have to go back and make some changes to the previous chapters, due to a continuity error. In the first chapter, I hinted this was set after the Winter War, which means Ichigo has lost his power and shouldn't be able to see spirits or use his Shinigami powers anymore. So I need to go back and fix that, though I don't think it should take long. **

**Let me know what you thought :)**


	8. Chapter 8: the final Sunday

**Here's the final installment of my story, after so long. I think this is my favorite chapter (it's fluffy!), so please enjoy. **

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Byakuya woke up that morning, and immediately after getting dressed he walked to Sakura's room, though he stopped outside, suddenly unsure. Why did he want to visit her anyways? It was because he wanted to check if she was alright, considering he'd saved her, he figured. He opened the door and silently walked over to Sakura, kneeling on a pillow beside where she was laying. He watched her sleep, her breathing in and out, and almost instinctively he reached towards her to brush a strand of hair across her face. He barely managed to stop himself short of touching her, though she must've felt it or something because her eyes flew open. She turned to look at him curiously, and there was an awkward silence between the two. Byakuya coughed his throat, "Are you feeling better?" She returned to looking at the ceiling before responding, her voice light.

"Much. Byakuya, I want to thank you for saving me from the Hollow yesterday, since I don't think I did so afterwards," she said, giving him a smile that nearly took his breath away.

"You already did, but you're welcome again," he replied before they again lapsed into silence, though not as uncomfortable as before. The silence was soon interrupted by a loud thumping noise down the hall, followed by the door slamming open to reveal a winded Ichigo.

"Sakura!" he cried out as he found her on the ground, rushing over to sit next to her. "Are you alright?" he asked. Byakuya calmly stood up and walked out of the room, deciding to give the friends a little privacy. As he closed the door behind him, he noticed Kisuke standing further down the hall, a serious expression on his face for once, his fan out of sight.

"Captain, can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked, turning down the hall to go to the main room. Byakuya silently followed, then settled himself opposite the shopkeeper at the table. Without any preemption, he said, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to stay away from Sakura from now on." Byakuya raised one eyebrow, the only sign that he was confused.

"And what has brought this on? Overprotective father urges getting to you?" Byakuya asked, internally fuming at the audacity the ex-Captain possessed to tell him something like that.

"Her memories are returning, meaning she remembers her life as Hisana," he explained. Byakuya's eyes widened with surprise. How long had she had the memories of Hisana? His thoughts flew back to yesterday, when she called him Lord Byakuya.

"Why do I have to stay away though?" he asked. In the back of his mind he desperately hoped the man didn't have a sound logical answer, that way he didn't have to listen, because when he thought about it, he didn't really want to stay away from Sakura anymore.

"I believe these memories returned due to the exposure of your spiritual energy, kind of like Ichigo's power influenced his friends' powers. Therefore, I figured if you went away, the memories would disappear as well and she can live a normal life again."

"What are you talking about, Kisuke? I don't want my memories to disappear!" Sakura said, surprising both men. Her and Ichigo had left her room and walked to the main room without them noticing, and managing to startle them as well. And right now Sakura wasn't very happy, piecing together what Kisuke had said. She didn't want Byakuya to go away, even though she knew he had to.

"That wasn't your life, Sakura, so there's no reason for you to keep them," Kisuke argued. But Sakura was adamant about keeping them, fixing Kisuke with a hard glare.

"But I want that to be my life," she said forcefully, surprising all the guys in the room. Byakuya was looking at Sakura with astonishment, his eyes wide open. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard, despite the warm feeling growing within. Was she saying she wanted to be with him?

"Sakura, what are you saying?" Ichigo asked, incredulous.

"Everything has returned. All of Hisana's memories…even her feelings," she said, quietly, while looking at the ground now. "And I can't help but find myself agreeing with her," she whispered. "Byakuya, can I talk to you? Alone," she added, looking at the others in the room. Ichigo eyed her and then Byakuya suspiciously before leaving the room, Kisuke following. Byakuya sat there, still not moving or speaking as he watched Sakura.

"Byakuya, at the beginning of this week I knew nothing about your or my past life as your wife. When I did realize that, at first I rejected the thought. But gradually, as I began to understand Hisana better, I realized I couldn't help it; no matter what life I led I would always love you," she said, beginning to tear up. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, seeing her this way. He stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her in a hug. He said nothing to her, just held her there.

She spoke up again, not quite done with her speech. "While I was unconscious yesterday, I thought about you, and how I might've been able to live that life again with you, but it could never happen as long as I'm alive. That's why I'm prepared to wait for you, if you'll still have me after I die." She looked up into his eyes, her own searching for an answer in his face. Instead of replying, he kissed her on the lips, surprising her.

"I'm not prepared to wait, so you'll have to deal with me now," he said when he pulled away. She smiled at him as she nodded, resting her head on his shoulder while he held her, completely content.

After a moment, Sakura spoke up again. A question had been plaguing her mind, and she was curious as to what they would do next. "How is this going to work out, you living in the Soul Society while I'm here?" Byakuya just looked at her, not really knowing the answer to that. Luckily someone else did. The door slid open to reveal none other than Kisuke Urahara, who had been listening to the entire conversation.

"I believe I have an answer to that."

~ several minutes later, in the underground training room ~

Sakura was looking at Kisuke warily, clutching Byakuya's arm as she sorta hid behind him. "Are you sure this is the only way?" she asked. He nodded.

"Only souls can get to the Soul Society, and in order to become a soul without being a Shinigami is to die. Don't worry, it'll be painless, right Ichigo," he said, looking at the substitute Shinigami. Ichigo scowled as he remembered training with Kisuke before the war, not helping Sakura feel any better. "All I'm going to do is eject your soul from your body, and then cut your Chain of Fate. Then Byakuya will lead you to the Soul Society so you don't get lost in the Rukongai and you two can live happily ever after," Kisuke explained, holding his cane out, pointed straight at Sakura's head. She looked at Byakuya for encouragement, and he gently pushed her forward. Taking a step, she stood in front of Kisuke as he shoved his can through her head. Luckily Byakuya was standing behind her to catch her soul, otherwise she would've skidded several feet back.

"Hey, you said that wouldn't hurt," she complained to Kisuke, rubbing her forehead where she'd felt a slight push from the cane. Kisuke shrugged and hid behind his fan. Then there was a clang, making Sakura jump towards Byakuya. Turning back she looked at Kisuke, who had his Zanpakuto out and had just cut her Chain of Fate. She scowled at him and turned to Byakuya. Since he was already in soul form, all he had to do now was summon a Senkaimon, which he did. The door opened and two Hell butterflies flew out towards them. Before she entered though, she turned back to say goodbye.

"Ichigo, I'm sorry about you and Rukia, but hopefully you'll see each other again," she said, giving him one last hug, which Byakuya didn't really like. "And thanks Kisuke, for everything," she said, though she didn't give him a hug. She was still irritated with him. Then she hurried to Byakuya, who was waiting, and grabbed his hand before they both stepped inside.

They walked through the passageway at a leisurely pace, not really wanting to face what was going to be chaos once they got to the Soul Society. "Get ready Sakura," he said as they neared the end.

"Hisana," she corrected. "I'm Hisana now."

And they stepped out.

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**Yay, they live happily ever after, just like I knew they would :P Poor Ichigo, though, he's left without a friend, other than Orihime, Uryu, Chad, Tatsuki, Kiego, and Mizuiro. So I think he'll be fine, not to mention Rukia comes back later anyways. Let me know what you thought of the ending in a review.**

**!IMPORTANT! I know how I said I might do an epilogue, but I've decided against it. They go on to live a happy life again anyways, so imagine that however you will. Maybe I'll add an epilogue, but definitely not until later - much later. And that's if I'm in the mood. So sorry to those who wanted one, but I'm just not feeling it right now.**


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